Milan Design Week 2018: Top Picks from Salone del Mobile

We’ve just got back from a whirlwind tour of Milan Design Week and our first stop was, of course, Salone del Mobile, the show that started it all when it was established by a small group of furniture makers in 1961.

The Blur collection by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Nanimarquina is the brothers’ third collaboration with the brand and it’s inspired by the visual effects of stripes which border on strobing.

Alessandro Mendini, who claims to be a terrible cook, has designed the Tegamino – a frying pan especially for eggs for Alessi – that even he can use. The stainless steel pot has a lid, handles that mimic the edge of a fried egg, and can be taken straight from the hob to the table.

Salone Satellite is the section of the show dedicated to new talent (designers under the age of 35) and it’s always a highlight. The Inside Out Chair by Tianyishi explores ‘simplistic playfulness and clever interesting living,’ showing the making process of the object on the outside instead of hiding it away.

The Stay Chair by Jonas Lutz encourages movement by both swiveling and bouncing thanks to its springy ash posts and a turning base. “The combination of leather, wool, wood and steel gives it a balanced yet remarkable character,” says the designer.

Volis is a side table made from Swiss wood and bio-resin, designed to ‘freeze time, material and the natural transformation of dead wood by giving it a second life.’ Swiss designer Romain Luppi was inspired by his father’s sculptures and love of wood.

We featured Jenny Ekdahl’s graduate project – the Dear Disaster cabinet – back in 2013. She’s now running Stoft, a ‘story-driven design studio’ in Sweden’s Malmo and presented Whittle Away as an attempt to ‘portray the design-DNA that Stoft brings with them to their design process,’ inspired by the peeling bark that reveals ‘something new and unspoilt that has lain dormant underneath.’

British-born Ghanaian designer, Kusheda Mensah presented ‘Mutual’ a modular furniture collection designed to counter the loneliness brought about by social media and encourage real-life interaction and connection instead.

Bloom by Danish VIA student Nikolak Bo Nielson is a bench with an integrated loom that encourages people to weave as they wait. This picture was snapped on day one – the scarf was across the aisle by the end of the week!